C.S. Lewis was a man blessed by God with insight and intelligence. Lewis also had the ability to see to the core of society and see some of the huge problems we, in our fallen and depraved humanity, struggle with. What is more, Lewis had the guts to write about the problems in a no-nonsense way. Here are Lewis' words on one of the fundamental problems of the modern world:
"The ancient man approached God (or even the gods) as the accused person approaches his judge. For the modern man the roles are reversed. He is the judge: God is in the dock. he is quite a kindly judge: if God should have a reasonable defence (sic) for being the god who permits war, poverty and disease, he is ready to listen to it. The trial may even end in God's acquittal. But the important thing is that Man is on the Bench and God is in the Dock." From "Undeceptions"
A very concise summary of how we tend to approach God anymore. We don't expect to be judged, we expect God to live up to our expectations and to prove to us that He exists. "Prove to us that You exist and that we need you" seems to be our attitude. I am reminded of Jesus' story about the rich man and Lazarus and what He said: 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead' (Luke 16:31 NIV).
1 comment:
I like your analysis. That quote by Lewis is fantastic. So many people have a "what can God give me" view of God, rather than the proper "He is in charge, I'm not" view.
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